1880s era home gets a modern makeover by DreamMaker franchise of Elizabethtown, PA

Remodel Magazine profiled this kitchen remodel of an 1880s era home by DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen

Dale Ressler is somewhat of an icon both in the world of home remodeling and within the DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen franchise system. Remodeling Magazine named Ressler one of 2005’s Big50 remodelers in the country. Then, after joining DreamMaker in 2006, he went on to become a two-time Franchisee of the Year, most recently in June of 2016.

A drag race competitor, licensed paramedic, ordained pastor and volunteer chaplain with Racers for Christ, Ressler even finds time in his very busy schedule to mentor other DreamMaker franchisees. He has joined the DreamMaker Headquarters Team as a part-time franchise coach, helping other franchisees to engage in DreamMaker business systems successfully.

Recently, Remodel Magazine chose to feature one of Ressler’s remodel jobs. On this particular remodel, Ressler was tasked with updating the kitchen in an 1880s-era farmhouse, while retaining its history and character. The magazine wrote, in part:

Ressler’s family has a special connection to the 1880s era farmhouse where the renovation occurred: The property borders the farm where his father grew up and is across the road from the former one-room schoolhouse his father attended. “It’s just kind of a unique thing,” Ressler says. “As I was working there, I felt that I was really working in history in a lot of ways.

To bring history up to modern standards and restore the home to a single-family layout after previous owners divided it into three apartment units, an almost total demolition of the interior was necessary. The homeowners took everything “down to the original stone walls,” Ressler says, which meant they were starting with a blank slate. So Ressler broke the project down into two phases: He first worked with the homeowners to design their dream kitchen and then built the space to fit. “We probably went backward from conventional thinking,” he admits, “but it felt like it was the smartest way based on what we had in front of us.”

Starting from scratch meant considerable options but also considerable work—especially due to the age of the building. “There’s just nothing flat, straight, plumb, or level,” Ressler says. “There’s only so much you can do to make plumb and level when it’s an old structure like that, so our focus became more about flat.”

It’s this kind of stellar craftsmanship and attention to detail that has helped DreamMaker become one of the most successful remodeling franchises in the country.

DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen helps entrepreneurs and remodelers earn strong financial numbers and also focuses on helping them improve their quality of life. DreamMaker remodeling franchise businesses reported average gross margins of more than 45% on the jobs they performed in 2015* — much higher than the margins experienced by most remodelers. The increased margins are a result of leveraging buying power, strong vendor relationships, and systems that help remodelers build thorough and more accurate job estimates. They then can provide clients world-class customer service and an excellent finished product.

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* Average gross margins were calculated by asking franchisees to submit financial information, which was received from 25 franchisees. We discarded the top two and bottom two results to normalize the average. The average margin for the remaining 21 franchisees was 45.5%. Much more detail can be found in the DreamMaker Franchise Disclosure Document, which is provided to franchise candidates as part of the mutual investigation process into the brand.